You have to see this! Mom walks at college graduation with her 10-day-old baby
Published at | Updated at
A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION — A Michigan mom had two special reasons to celebrate this month after welcoming a baby girl who then accompanied her across the stage at her college graduation.
Grace Szymchack planned to attend her Dec. 15 commencement at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, three days before she was due, according to ABC News. Plans changed when her daughter Annabelle arrived early.
“The doctor made it sound like she didn’t think I was going to make it to the 18th so we were hoping that she’d come early enough that I could still walk right after graduation,” Szymchack said.
Szymchack delivered Annabelle on Dec. 6, and 10 days later, Szymchack and her newborn baby were at the graduation ceremony.
A video of Szymchack that shows Annabelle tucked inside her mom’s graduation gown has gone viral. Comments on the video shared by Inside Edition praise the mother for her “hard work” while acknowledging the “beautiful moment.”
“It was important for me to walk because I’ve been working on this degree for a long time,” Szymchack said. “And with lots of support from my husband and family, I was determined to actually walk and I wasn’t ready to leave (Annabelle) with anyone yet.”
Szymchack, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, said Annabelle slept the entire time. She hopes her story can inspire other parents, especially moms, who want to receive their college degree.
“I hope it inspires other moms … to go back and finish the degree that they want or to start the degree that they have been hoping for,” she said.